Shifting Gears
by cgh11
Summary: Spoilers for the movies and through to the finale of Season 3. My take on what happened in Chicago between Cassie and Sam.


Like many viewers, I was a little surprised by the events of the Season 3 finale. The poem was beautiful, the wedding touching and the carriage ride to the country club was romantic. But Sam isn't normally the type to get caught up in a whirl-wind of romance. What happened in Chicago that made Sam reconsider the future of his relationship with Cassie?

Disclaimer: Characters owned by Hallmark. I just borrow them now and again!

Shifting Gears

"Sam?" Cassie frowned as she stepped out of the bedroom and tucked her phone into her pocket. The empty wine glasses and remnants of their dinner were on the table now and the fireplace had been turned down, but Sam was nowhere in sight.

"Out here," he called, reaching back to slide open the balcony door and gesturing for her to join him on the divan. She paused in the doorway. He looked at home, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened and that familiar cup of coffee in his firm grip. As usual, his blue eyes were observing everything and rarely still as he rested his elbows on his knees and studied the scene below him. From the 20th floor, the lights of Chicago glimmered and the sounds and smells of the city surrounded them.

"Cassie," he interrupted her thoughts. "Everything Ok at home?" A slight furrow creased his brow. Her phone call had lasted longer than expected.

"Just a little teenage drama, you know."

"Oh yes, drama I know all about." He nodded knowingly, a wry smile crossing his handsome features.

That was something that had drawn them together early in their friendship. With both of them being single parents to teenagers, the challenges of raising kids had been a frequent topic of conversation. But not tonight. Everyone at home in Middleton was safe and Cassie was set to enjoy the peace and quiet of just the two of them for the next hour or so before Sam headed back. She herself would stay in town one more day, wrapping up the last of her buying trip for the store. Cassie slipped off her shoes before settling in beside him and tucking her feet underneath her. She loved sitting next to him, her back pressing into his side and his strong arm slipping around her waist instinctively to pull her closer. Resting her head against his shoulder, she inhaled the smell of his aftershave and the lingering scent of the hospital which created a fragrance that was uniquely Sam. They would sit like that for hours in the sitting room at Grey House, reading, watching a movie or just sitting quietly. No words were necessary, just the feeling of being safe and close in their embrace.

They sat quietly for a few moments, listening to the pulse of the city. It was a cool, calm night and the patios and rooftop restaurants were full of hardy folks out enjoying a rare still autumn night in the windy city. The sounds of their revelry buzzed in the distance.

"Do you miss the city?" Cassie asked. It had been just over two years since Sam had relocated from New York City to Middleton with his teenage son, Nick

"I do, or at least parts of it I do. I miss reading on the commute into Manhattan and I miss catching the Nicks games at O'Leary's pub in between shifts. But I can't say I miss the noise anymore. The first few weeks in Middleton I couldn't sleep because it was so quiet. Now I kind of miss the quiet."

Cassie heard, rather than saw the gentle smile on his face as he spoke of his new home…their home. It was the same for Cassie. She had travelled the world before inheriting her great-great-grandmother's Grey House and moving to Middleton. In that small town she'd finally found something she'd searched the world over for…..a soul mate in her first husband Jake, 3 wonderful children and a life unlike anything she had ever imagined. The youngest, Grace was a young woman now, almost 17 years old. In a few years, the big house would be empty and for Cassie, resuming her exploration of the world would be a real possibility again. But somehow, she couldn't really imagine leaving Middleton. Jake was gone and her children were almost grown, but there was something else holding her there. She always thought it was the magic of Grey House, the wonderful people she met each day at her bed and breakfast and at her store, Bell Book and Candle. But more recently it was the unexpected joy of finding love again with Dr. Sam Radford. And maybe that was why in the safety of his arms she whispered the words almost without thinking into the night air. "Sam, please stay tonight."

She felt rather than saw the shift in his countenance – the slight hesitation in his breathing, the tension in his body. "Cassie, I don't..." his voice dwindled and she turned to face him, her dark eyes searching his. He cleared his throat, before looking away. "I have rounds at noon tomorrow. I should get back."

"And I have a meeting at the store so I'd planned to go back early. We have plenty of time." But Cassie knew the hospital and the store were just words, excuses. She and Sam had never spent a night together, never expressed their feelings in that way. It hadn't been a conscious decision to wait. They'd always said it was timing and when you had two impressionable teenage kids and a houseful of guests at the house, not to mention her father-in-law George and cousin Abigail, a business and a medical career, there simply wasn't much time. But more than timing, perhaps it was a reluctance on both their parts to open themselves up to that kind of love and the hurt that could come with it.

So in that way, Cassie had surprised herself a little, asking him to stay. Their future together was less certain after the events of the last couple of days. Sam had told her quite clearly that marriage was something he couldn't do again. She had witnessed his struggles with his ex-wife first-hand and understood why he would feel that way, but it still hurt. Just because his first marriage had ended badly, didn't mean a future relationship would also end in divorce. Didn't he trust their feelings enough to try again? Or was he afraid that she would hurt him? Her close friend Olympia had mentioned that at tea earlier in the week. Jake had been an undeniable force in Cassie's life and losing him had almost broken her. Olympia had suggested that it was hard for Sam to compete with the memory of a first and all-consuming love and a near-perfect marriage.

Cassie had met Jake when she was just 23. She was a dreamer and he a realist – widowed at 32 and raising 2 children. For her it had been true first love – intense, passionate and almost overwhelming at times becoming a step-mother to Laurie and Brandon and eventually giving birth to Grace, not to mention the struggles of fitting into the town of Middleton. For Jake, Cassie had been his second chance. And although he'd loved Jenny very much, there was something special about finding love again when you least expected it. Jake had seized the opportunity by proposing early in their relationship and they'd made the most of the 13 years they'd shared as husband and wife. Although their time together had ended way too soon, there were no regrets. Jake had been her everything and even in death he seemed to be with her at every turn in her life. Jake would have liked Sam, she was sure of it. And more than anything, Jake would have wanted her to be happy.

"I'm not sure this is the right time, Cassie." She felt him pull away and she let him go as he placed the empty coffee mug on the floor before straightening and moving to the railing. She stood behind him, wanting to touch him but giving him space.

"Why, not?" The question was simple, but as he turned to face her, the look in his eyes told her that the answer was not.

"Cassie," he reached for her, and she took his hands. He looked at their joined hands before raising his eyes to meet hers. "I didn't…" He shook his head, "I didn't come to Chicago for this. Not that I don't want you," he rushed to reassure her, "Because I do, but that wasn't why I came."

Cassie waited patiently for him to continue.

"I didn't like how things were between us after the marriage conversation. I love you, and I don't want to lose you over this. I'm sorry, I just…" he sighed, shaking his head.

"Sam," she reassured him. "I am not going anywhere. I got ahead of myself, that's all. This, you and I," she gestured between them, "it's unexpected for both of us and I was rushing ahead. I'm sorry too. Let's just enjoy what we have right now, in this moment. Please stay."

He studied her carefully. "Are you sure about this, Cassie? I'm not sure I can step back after tonight."

He was right. To go back to being 'just friends' or casually dating would be impossible. Tonight was a turning point in their relationship. Were they on the right path? Her gaze fell to his hands, strong, yet delicate, having saved so many lives as a trauma surgeon in New York. Maybe those hands had saved her life, and helped her to move forward. But forward to where? Where were they going? This wasn't a casual fling, there was too much at stake. She wasn't ready to risk their friendship and neither was he. Was she really sure about this? As the questions came, the panic began to rise a bit.

Cassie took a deep breath to re-centre herself, closing her eyes and focussing on the feeling of standing with him on the balcony in her stocking feet, her hands wrapped in his. Her thoughts went back to her earlier conversation with Olympia - living in the moment, rather than worrying about what was to come. At this particular moment she really only needed to be sure about a few things, that she was safe in his hands and that she loved him and he loved her. It was really quite simple. She nodded then, smiling shyly as she looked into his eyes. Her confidence increased as he tightened his grip on her, pulling her close. She raised an eyebrow. "And what about you. Are you sure, Sam?"

The way he looked at her was different than only a moment earlier. It was as if he had left his heart unguarded for the first time. She saw things that she had never noticed before. The way his gaze caressed her face and settled at her mouth before narrowing and returning to her eyes. The change in his breathing. The air between them was suddenly charged and filled with possibilities. "Yes." He nodded, "I am sure." Then his hand was sliding up the length of her arm, to settle at the nape of her neck. He pulled her to him in much the same way he had at the lake house so many months ago. There was a certain desperation in his movement. He needed her the way he needed air. And the first time that had scared them both a little and they had retreated. But things had changed. This time it felt right and there was no question in her mind about where she wanted this night to go. Despite the chilly night air, she felt the familiar heat rush through her body, a combination of his physical closeness and the way he looked at her just now. And then they were kissing. It felt so different than the other times. There was no holding back, his mouth hot and urgent against her lips as she kissed him back. Breathless they parted, foreheads resting against one another, as they held each other tight in the dim light of the Chicago night.

She wasn't sure if it was her heart racing, or his as they both spoke at once and then stopped. She laughed, "You first, Sam."

He reached for the hem of her sweater, his hands sliding beneath the fabric briefly brushing her skin before settling at the curve of her waist. Her breath caught slightly and she noticed his fleeting grin as she reacted to his touch. She smiled to herself, thinking of the many ways that she could make him pay for that smug expression.

"I was just thinking," he began, his voice hoarse, edgy, and she had to say it - extremely sexy. "That maybe we ought to take this inside?"


End file.
